Quando hai 17 anni

In 'Being Seventeen' we meet Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein), who is surprised when his mother Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain) calmly accepts his declaration of sexual attraction to a classmate. But why would she be surprised? Damien's candy-coloured rhinestone earring hardly shouts 'macho man'. But it is fair to say he is not the stereotypical film closeted homosexual: he enthusiastically takes boxing lessons from a friend of his army pilot father; and he is not even sure whether it is men generally he is attracted to, or just that particular classmate: Thomas (played by male model Corentin Fila).

The trouble with Damien's attraction to Thomas is that the latter bullies the former. But when Marianne, the local doctor in the Pyrenean community, hospitalises Thomas' weak, pregnant mother, she invites him to stay with her and Damien, and so the two boys are thrown together...

There are occasions when this film loses the way: Damien and Thomas are plainly the centre of the story, so sequences focusing exclusively on Marianne seem pointless and add little to the main story. But Kiberlain certainly provides a decent performance as the friendly mother who chats happily to the boys while serving them a glass of after-school wine (did I mention this is a French film?), before a personal tragedy means she must pull her life back together. Fila and Klein are given likable characters to play - Thomas concerned by his mother's condition; Damien the bully's victim - and also turn in good performances.

But the best aspect for me is the scenery: director André Téchiné gets the best of filming in the Pyrénées, with the endless snow-covered mountains (most of the filming seems to have taken place during the depths of winter) gradually giving way to deep, verdant valleys as the film and seasons progress. But it is not just a travelogue - this film is well worth seeing for its take on awakening sexuality.

This is certainly one of the best of one of France's great directors. The cast is perfect, and the two youths beautifully played. Their antagonism at the beginning is not uncommon to those who are still foreigners to their sexuality, and certainly not uncommon to youths far from any centres of so-called gay life. Their attraction is caught by looks that are touching, troubling and moving and the hostility to their own feelings, especially that of Thomas (Corentin Fila ) who lives a more remote life than Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein)who realises his sexual and emotional desires earlier, is perfectly understandable. I will not give away the plot, but mention must be made of the subtle and delicate acting of Damien's mother (Sandrine Kiberlain ) and her exquisite variations of emotions. This is the kind of film that raises homosexuality to a new level in world cinema, and I hope it reaches the wide audience it needs to raise hope, awareness and respect for a choice of love still a problem even in France, and yet no other country could have made this film in quite the same way. Louis Malle's 'Les Amants' which equally showed antipathy between the two lovers was considered a great breakthrough in portraying sexual love for heterosexuals. This film equals it in beauty of image, and its wisdom, and it is a crying shame it was not given the Golden Bear at Berlin. A masterpiece.

This movie was quite charming. While it was easy to anticipate a story of repressed adoration channeled in the form of antagonism, as is the case for many nonhetero- and questioning folks, it was very rewarding and exciting to see the two main characters come into their own, especially Thomas. Tension is a marvelous instrument and what I liked was that nothing in this movie was presumed or handed to you, everything took it's sweet time to present itself.

Beautiful character development, Damien and Thomas had great chemistry and rawness. To me, Thomas is crucial to the film, race is big (and I could go into that further). It was also not surprising that Marianne (Damien's mother) got such rave reviews. She was absolutely splendid, captivating the screen with her restrain, affection and depth!

Plenty of beautiful vistas to mirror the emotional range of all the characters... this IS a good film, one that I relate to and applaud, BUT in writing this, I am curious of the perspectives of those who are not accustomed to seeing these kind of romances/coming-of-age stories. So, I encourage any and all to see this, a movie that caters to its audience with characters who all feel, react and grow before your eyes.

So this is what being 17 feels like?! This is a slow-moving, mundane yet beautiful, subtle drama that captures the bleak lives of two teenage boys, both living in different family backgrounds. Accompanied by constant shivering snowfalls, they both end up feeling 'something' between them.

This is a simple come-of-age story that doesn't show us usual intensity of gay relationships or obvious flow of surging passion (that concludes with I-love-you or I-like-you confessions). On the contrary it is more about wavering confusion and love-hate tension that grows between two adolescent boys studying in the same institute.

What makes it different from other gay films of similar themes is its ability to grip your attention and tease you with slightly puerile curiosity about: "will they come together?"

There are several unique elements that work as essentials of this story: sense of solitude, fierce jealousy, suppressed infatuation, silent expectations, teenage ego, and of course, the urgent hatred that often emerges from helpless, pent-up affection.

I especially loved the natural, engaging and poised performances of two young actors who seemed to know what they were supposed to do on screen - they appeared quite involved and effortless. Exhilarating indeed!

I didn't quite know what to expect with this one so I just let myself get into the story and I have to say, I was not disappointed. It starts slowly and evolves into a complex and layered plot about 2 boys discovering their sexual desires but unlike many movies on that subject, it's not just about one thing.

What made this movie work in my opinion is the subplot involving Damien's mother played very well by Sandrine Kiberlain who gives a subtle performance. The standout to me in terms of acting is without a doubt Corentin Fila as Thomas Chardoul, the perplexed, confused and prone to violence teenager who keeps everyone at bay while yearning to be himself.

I must say I also enjoyed Kacey Mottet Klein's performance as Damien Delille even though he seemed a bit less able to convey the angst and subtle emotions needed for the part. His acting was sometimes clumsy and a bit fake but is still worked because it could be read as choices he made on how to play the part and the fact that he truly is a teenager playing one, not an adult actor trying to go back to his youth.

Even the ending worked for me so a strong 8 star rating is what I felt it deserved and if you speak French and want to spend some time getting to know these characters, they all have something to offer and I for one enjoyed the journey and can safely recommend it warmly.